Brazil 1954-1961: VW Fusca leads the way

Thanks to Brazilian car sales expert Marcelo de Vasconcellos from The Truth About Cars and Quatro Rodas, I can share with you Historical Info about Brazil’s best selling models.

The VW Beetle, called “Fusca” locally, started being assembled in Brazil in 1953 with parts imported from Germany, but by 1959 the cars were 100% made in Brazil. It was an instant success, and the Fusca would go on to lead the models ranking in Brazil for over 25 years from 1954, all the way through the sixties and seventies up until 1980. Its market share would peak at over 50% in 1967 and its production would peak at over 250,000 units in 1972.

Along with the Fusca, VW produced the Karmann Ghia which, although not a mass hit, was an original addition to VW’s range in Brazil.

1962 VW Karmann Ghia

For a full, complete history of the Brazilian car industry, simply go click on the following words for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.